Blog Posts: Next Generation Series

At the request of the Rural Empowerment Association for Community HELP (REACH), Center for Civil Rights summer interns Daniel Kale, 2nd year UNC Law student, and UNC undergraduate Kendall Cox, with the Center’s new Attorney-Fellow, Allen Buansi, gave a comprehensive overview of opportunities for residents in Duplin County to actively engage with their local government. REACH, made up of members of the local community who regularly gather to address issues of health and environment, invited the Center to present information and answer questions about voting and electoral requirements, election results (including voter turnout) in the most recent local government elections in Duplin County, and advisory boards and commissions appointed by elected officials. Two members of the Duplin County Board of Commissioners attended in this Community Civic Engagement Training, and expressed thanks to the Center for bringing much-needed technical support and information to their constituents.

Leah Aden, NAACP LDF Assistant Counsel and Former Center Fellow, won an important battle () for fair elections in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia on Monday. Ms. Aden represents Fayette County, Georgia voters in their effort to secure fair district-based voting as the voting method for the upcoming special election. Ms. Aden argued the County should be prevented from using the at-large method of voting during the upcoming special election because it will impermissibly dilute the voting power of Black voters in Fayette in violation of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which celebrates its 50th Anniversary of being signed into law on August 6.

Each year, the Center hosts law student interns for the summer, fall, and spring semesters, as part of its mission to train the next generation of civil rights lawyers. This blog post is part of the Next Generation Series, which include reflections from our interns on their assigned casework.

This past December, first-year law student Brian Gwyn and second-year law student Evan Benz dedicated a week of their winter break to volunteering at the Center. Read Evan and Brian’s reflections on working at the Center below.

Each year, the Center hosts law student interns for the summer, fall, and spring semesters, as part of its mission to train the next generation of civil rights lawyers. This blog post is part of the Next Generation Series, which include reflections from our interns on their assigned casework.Read more about our current and past interns.

The historic Rogers-Eubanks community claimed a long overdue victory when the Orange County Landfill closed on Saturday, June 29, 2013, forty-one years after it opened. With a slow click of the master lock held by three community members – David Caldwell, Gertrude Nunn and the Reverend Robert Campbell – the landfill gates were secured.

Rogers-Eubanks community members prepare to lock the landfill gates. The signs they hold read, "Thanks Orange County for Closing This Landfill, Let's Keep It Closed Forever. Reject NC Senate Bill 328."

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